To some of the non-vegans here, this may come as a surprise, but I really do not miss dairy cheese. Not at all. And no, I’m not lying in an attempt to convince you all to come over to the vegan side.
I don’t find the smell attracts me like it once did. If anything, it smells a bit rancid (sorry, not sorry). And all of the aspects of cheese that I did enjoy I now have an even better alternative that fulfills these.
Cream cheese? We’ve got that, it’s made from nuts & oats. Camembert? You must have heard of Cashewbert. Mozzarella? Our stuff melts now too don’t you know.
Okay, I am sure you are catching on already. We have all of the vegan cheese alternatives and they just get better and better. Some are fermented to give them a cheesy tang, whilst others are made to replicate the more subtle-tasting cheeses.
We really do have it all (as you can see with all of these amazing vegan meat substitutes), and I am here to show you (whether you are vegan or not) my favourite vegan cheese alternatives that I recommend you leave your sofa for right this second to go purchase and eat. No, just kidding, you can order all of these tasty vegan cheeses online from the comfort of your sofa. So, let’s get to it!
My top picks
- Best vegan brie: Honestly Tasty | Skip to review
- Best truffle flavour: I Am Nut Ok | Skip to review
- Best mozzarella: Purezza | Skip to review
- Best smoked cheese: Kinda Co | Skip to review
- Best blue cheese: Mouse’s Favourite | Skip to review
- Best cream cheese: Nush | Skip to review
- Best gouda: Sheese | Skip to review
- Best parmesan: Violife | Skip to review
- Best sliced cheese: Applewood | Skip to review
Honestly Tasty
- 100% vegan brand
- Try their Bree (vegan brie)
Honestly Tasty lives up to its brand name, because its range of vegan cheese really is quite honestly very tasty. I love their spreadable ‘cheddar’ cheese which goes really nicely with chunks of crusty bread and a nice chutney.
I AM NUT OK
- 100% vegan brand
- Try their Black Truffle Nerominded cheese
This is one of my favourite brands of vegan cheese. Not only do they have a great range, plus a black truffle cheese (YUM), but they also have a great little vegan deli in East London that is a must-visit.
This black truffle vegan cheese is great spread over crackers or eaten straight off the knife. Whichever you prefer, of course…
Purezza
- 100% vegan brand
- Try their Mozella (vegan mozzarella)
For those who know Purezza (the vegan pizzeria), you may be wondering why on earth I’ve added them to this list. But if that is you, then I have great news for you – Purezza now sells their vegan cheese online!! So you can get wonderfully melty mozzarella-style cheese to top your homemade pizzas, like this socca pizza.
Kinda Co
- 100% vegan brand
- Try their Smoked Farmhouse cheese
Kinda Co’s vegan cheeses don’t just look great on your cheese board they also taste amazing. I particularly love that this is a female-founded business.
I would recommend their smoked farmhouse cheese which is like a smoky cheddar cheese alternative. If you are a big cheddar fan, then you’ll love this – it is even better than cheddar.
Mouse’s Favourite
- 100% vegan brand
- Try their Blue cheese
Another female-founded vegan cheese brand – woop woop. Mouse’s Favourite has nailed the fermented vegan cheeses. So if you like your cheese with a tang, then give them a go.
Whilst I struggle to eat blue cheese on its own, I do really enjoy eating this inside a salad.
Nush
- 100% vegan brand
- Try their vegan cream cheese
There are plenty of vegan cream cheeses on the market but in my humble (and correct) opinion, Nush makes THE best version. It is made using almonds and comes either flavoured or neutral. It works perfectly as a base for a baked vegan cheesecake or tastes great spread on toast with sliced cucumber.
Sheese
- 100% vegan brand
- Try their vegan gouda-style cheese
Sheese is one of the OGs of the vegan cheese world, so it is no surprise they make good versions of it. Personally, I really enjoy their Greek style cheese, which is like feta cheese. It works really nicely when paired with squash in a pasta dish or placed on skewers with olives at a dinner party. Their gouda cheese is also great for salads and sandwiches.
Violife
- 100% vegan brand
- Try their vegan Parmesan cheese
I’m sure you haven’t been living in a cave for the last 10 years so I’m going to make the assumption that you already know about Violife. They have dominated the vegan cheese market for ages. That being said, I’m not the biggest fan of most of their vegan cheeses. But I do really like their vegan parmesan. It grates nicely and goes well with pasta dishes, like this creamy vegan mushroom pasta dish.
Applewood Vegan Cheese
- Try their sliced smoked vegan cheese
This is the only non-vegan brand that I have mentioned here, but I kind of had to mention their vegan cheese since it is a big hit in the vegan community. They do these wonderfully smoky vegan cheese slices that work perfectly in toasties, sandwiches, and on top of vegan burgers, like this jackfruit burger.
Leave a Reply